Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics facts for kids
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Host country | South Korea |
| Dates | 17 September – 1 October |
| Teams | 16 |
| Venue(s) | 6 (in 5 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Soviet Union (2nd title) |
| Runners-up |  Brazil |
| Third place |  West Germany |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 32 |
| Goals scored | 95 (2.97 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Romário (7 goals) |
The Football at the 1988 Summer Olympics was a big soccer tournament. It took place in South Korea from September 17 to October 1, 1988. Teams from all over the world came to compete for Olympic medals.
Contents
Teams That Qualified
Sixteen national teams earned their spot to play in this exciting tournament. These teams qualified from different regions around the globe.
South Korea (The host country)
Argentina
Australia- Brazil
China
Guatemala
Iraq
Italy
Nigeria- Soviet Union
Sweden
Tunisia
United States- West Germany
Yugoslavia
Zambia
Group Stage Matches
The tournament started with a group stage. The 16 teams were divided into four groups (A, B, C, D). Each team played against the other teams in their group. The top two teams from each group moved on to the next round, called the knockout stage.
Group A Results
In Group A, Sweden and West Germany played very well. They earned enough points to move forward in the competition.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sweden |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 5 |
| West Germany |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 3 | +5 | 4 |
| Tunisia |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 | –3 | 2 |
| China |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | –5 | 1 |
Group B Results
Zambia surprised many with their strong performance in Group B. Italy also showed great skill to advance.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zambia |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | +8 | 5 |
| Italy |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 6 | +1 | 4 |
| Iraq |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | +1 | 3 |
| Guatemala |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 12 | –10 | 0 |
Group C Results
The Soviet Union topped Group C with a solid performance. Argentina also made it through to the next round.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soviet Union |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 5 |
| Argentina |
3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 3 |
 South Korea |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | –1 | 2 |
| United States |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 | –2 | 2 |
Group D Results
Brazil showed their strength by winning all their games in Group D. Australia also advanced from this group.
| Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brazil |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | 1 | +8 | 6 |
| Australia |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | –1 | 4 |
| Yugoslavia |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Nigeria |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 8 | –7 | 0 |
Knockout Stage
After the group stage, the tournament became a knockout competition. This means if a team lost a match, they were out. The teams played quarter-finals, semi-finals, and then the final matches for the medals.
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 25 September – Daegu | ||||||||||
| Sweden |
1 | |||||||||
| 27 September – Busan | ||||||||||
| Italy (a.e.t.) |
2 | |||||||||
| Italy |
2 | |||||||||
| 25 September – Busan | ||||||||||
| Soviet Union (a.e.t.) |
3 | |||||||||
| Soviet Union |
3 | |||||||||
| 1 October – Seoul | ||||||||||
| Australia |
0 | |||||||||
| Soviet Union (a.e.t.) |
2 | |||||||||
| 25 September – Gwangju | ||||||||||
| Brazil |
1 | |||||||||
| Zambia |
0 | |||||||||
| 27 September – Seoul | ||||||||||
| West Germany |
4 | |||||||||
| West Germany |
1 (2) | |||||||||
| 25 September – Seoul | ||||||||||
| Brazil |
1 (3)
|
|||||||||
| Brazil |
1 | |||||||||
| Argentina |
0
|
|||||||||
Bronze Medal Match
The teams that lost in the semi-finals played for the bronze medal. West Germany won this match against Italy.
| 30 September 1988 |
Italy |
0 – 3 | West Germany |
Olympic Stadium, Seoul Attendance: 61000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Gold Medal Match
The final match was for the gold medal. It was a thrilling game between the Soviet Union and Brazil. The Soviet Union won after extra time, becoming the Olympic champions!
| 1 October 1988 |
Soviet Union |
2 – 1 (a.e.t.) |
Brazil |
Olympic Stadium, Seoul Attendance: 74000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Tournament Statistics
- The top scorer of the tournament was Romário from Brazil, who scored 7 goals.
Related Pages
Images for kids
-
Romário, the top scorer of the tournament with 7 goals.
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Fútbol en los Juegos Olímpicos de Seúl 1988 para niños
